By Faughn New Developments • Tourism • Workforce 0 Comments

New casino project to break ground in Madera County

A new casino is closer than ever to being built in the Madera County. After nearly 20 years, the North Fork Rancheria of Mono Indians plan to break ground on Saturday. A large, vacant lot off of Avenue 18 and Road 23 will soon be transformed into the North Fork Mono Casino & Resort. The plans say it will include 2,000 slot machines, 40 table games, a 200-room hotel, restaurants, a food court, meeting rooms. and more. The controversial mega casino had to clear several hurdles to get to this point. The project has faced numerous lawsuits, environmental reviews, even other tribes claiming they do not have tribal rights to the land.

“They have overcome those legal disputes. They’ve actually won their case in court and we’re beyond that now and now we’re in the groundbreaking phase,” said Madera Mayor Santos Garcia.

Earlier this year, the tribe received approval to work with a Las Vegas-based developer. Local leaders say they’ve also entered into an agreement with the tribe to ensure money will be infused into the community of Madera, including dollars to support first responders.

“They’re also going to provide money to help us with our Parks and Recreation and our infrastructure. They’re committed to help us with sidewalks and water and sewer and so we look at this as a long-term benefit. It’s not going to happen overnight, but we look at it as a long-term benefit and partnership,” said Garcia.

Silvia Belin lives in Madera and says she plans to apply to work at the casino once it’s built.

“I think it’ll bring more jobs in the area you said that you would like to get a job yeah I would like to get a job there,” said Belin.

Many are concerned the project will create more traffic on roads already in need of repair, but Garcia says plans to upgrade are already in the works.

“It has to be incremental. It’s not going to be all in one shot. They have to start just by the fact that they’re going to start. It’s going to be very important,” Garcia explained.

“In 10 years, you’re not going to recognize Madera, I guarantee you.”

By Faughn New Location • Workforce 0 Comments

New AutoZone warehouse now open in Chowchilla

It may be hard to miss the brand-new AutoZone warehouse in the North Valley. The distribution center is now open in Chowchilla. It’s located between Highway 99 and the Chowchilla Airport and created some 280 new jobs for the area. The last project of this scale to hit the city of about 19,000 residents was more than 40 years ago. The American retailer, which sells aftermarket auto parts and accessories, is the largest in the United States.

https://abc30.com/post/new-autozone-warehouse-now-open-chowchilla/15185291/

By Faughn Commercial • Economy 0 Comments

How you can support San Joaquin County small businesses, get up to $200 in rewards

There is a new way for you to support small businesses in San Joaquin County called Shop San Joaquin, where you can get up to $200 back in rewards. The rewards program, which is the result of $1 million in COVID-19 relief funding, encourages customers to shop local and support the independently owned businesses that are still dealing with the impact of the pandemic. Business that are participating have fewer than 500 employees and operated in the food-and-beverage, hospitality, or retail industries. So far, 1,625 businesses are participating.

Officials laid out this list, explaining how to participate:

  • Download the free Open Rewards: Shop Local app on Google Play or the App Store
  • Sign up
  • Go to a local restaurant or retailer listed within the app and spend $50
  • Pay for the purchase as usual
  • Upload the receipt to Shop San Joaquin — Open Rewards app (or link a credit card to automate this step)
  • Receive 100% cash back rewards in the account once the receipt is approved
  • Redeem the rewards on future purchases at eligible businesses or continue to save up the rewards.

There’s a $50 reward cap per transaction for a total of $200 in rewards per calendar year. Nicole Snyder, the deputy director for the San Joaquin County Employment and Economic Development Department, joined KCRA 3 Wednesday morning to talk about the program.

“What we really intend to do with this program is to continue the economic recovery of the retail and hospitality industries that were severely impacted by the pandemic,” she said. “It also benefits county residents by basically giving them funding to spend through a reimbursement model.”

This comes as new data from the Commerce Department shows retail spending has been holding mostly steady since the beginning of the year. Last month’s reading was better than the outright decline economists had projected.

https://www.kcra.com/article/shop-san-joaquin-rewards-small-businesses-program/61624215

By Faughn Food Processing • Manufacturing 0 Comments

US Cold Storage in Tulare plans $76 mil expansion after food package deal

United States Cold Storage Inc. expects to complete an 8.56- million-cubic-foot refrigerated addition at its Tulare North warehouse in Tulare come February 2025. This $75.7 million expansion will include some of the industry’s latest storage and retrieval automation and bring the operation’s total space to more than 24.7 million cubic feet, the largest single footprint in the company’s network.

“I am thrilled for our fifth strategic expansion in Tulare,” said Rod Noll, USCS senior vice president for the Western Region. “This expansion reflects the continued growth of some of our major customers who are broadening their manufacturing capabilities. Specifically, we have a consumer-packaged goods customer relocating its business to northern California and to this facility.

“Meanwhile, we also look forward to contributing to the local Tulare business community and creating additional job opportunities.”

Tulare City Manager Marc Mondell added praise. “US Cold Storage has been a fantastic local employer and partner for over 20 years,” he said.  We are thrilled that they are making another large investment into their Tulare facility and look forward to many more years of successful collaboration.”

US Cold Storage plans to break ground for the attached expansion this month, which will ultimately include two new refrigerated rooms capable of storage down to -20F degrees. Officials expect by this November to complete a conventional storage space spanning 3.08 million cubic feet. A second, 5.48 million-cubic- foot room is scheduled to open in February 2025. That space will feature very narrow aisle storage serviced by a warehouse guidance system and semi-automated, turret-style storage and retrieval forklifts.

Upon completion, Tulare North will have approximately 98,500 available pallet positions. The addition also includes 23 more shipping and receiving doors for the operation’s dock, which will boast 73 doors after completion.

“Tulare North is one of our largest facilities in the West Region,” Noll added. “Being a multi-dimensional facility, it can handle a large range of storage temperature requirements. Offering the flexibility of food grade ambient, refrigerated, frozen, and ice cream storage temps allows us to customize our services for many types of customers and many stages of production.”

USCS first built its Tulare North operation in 2002 as a 3.4 million-cubic-foot dry warehouse. Tulare North also offers import and export services, rail handling and product re-pack services. It also is certified according to the BRCGS Food Safety Global Standard. USCS also services the area from a second Tulare operation, a 7.3 million-cubic-foot Tulare South facility, which also offers ambient and refrigerated storage. USCS’s cold storage and logistics network spans 40 sites from coast to coast, including nine California locations from Sacramento and south to Bakersfield.  The company is a subsidiary of the U.K.’s John Swire & Sons Ltd.

https://www.visaliatimesdelta.com/story/news/2024/02/05/us-cold-storage-in-tulare-plans-76-mil-expansion-after-food-package-deal/72451106007/
By Faughn Economy 0 Comments

Stanislaus County’s $9.24 Million Investment Signals Circular Bioeconomy Momentum

On behalf of the dozens of organizations in BEAM Circular’s public-private partnership collaborative, we’re grateful for Stanislaus County’s continued commitment to unlocking the potential of the circular bioeconomy for our local community.

On Tuesday August 13, the Stanislaus County Board of Supervisors approved a cumulative $9.24 million contract with BEAM Circular to support a broad portfolio of local projects and activities that create quality jobs, strengthen the regional economy, and deliver environmental benefits. This investment by the County brings total aligned public and private funding commitments to regional circular bioeconomy development efforts to over $55 million since BEAM Circular’s launch in January 2023. This combination of local, state, federal, and private investment in our region will enable long-term impact through local innovation, sustainable industry scale-up, and workforce readiness.

The county’s investment is the result of three years of planning, research, and collaboration — beginning with the Stanislaus 2030 public-private planning initiative launched in 2021. That initiative created a shared vision for our community’s economic future, including a specific strategy for establishing our region as a global leader in the growing bioeconomy.

Over the past 18 months since BEAM Circular’s launch, we’ve received invaluable input from hundreds of community members and partners across industry, labor, education, environmental advocacy, community development, and local government to further refine that strategy. These inputs shaped the specific investment recommendations approved by Stanislaus County (detailed below).

Stanislaus County Investment Summary

The $9.24 million from Stanislaus County includes $500K previously awarded in June 2024. Adding to $760,000 previously awarded to BEAM Circular, this brings the County’s total investment of American Rescue Plan Act funding for regional bioeconomy development to $10 million, in alignment with a spending plan for Stanislaus 2030 strategy implementation approved by the County in January 2023.

The funding allocation includes:

  • $4.6 million for Cross-Cutting Initiatives that enable overall sector growth, community engagement, innovation, local capacity-building, and collaboration activities, including through BEAM Circular Initiative Leadership & Program Delivery ($2,894,889), Innovation Engine development via CBIO Collaborative ($332,611), a new BEAM Fellows Program ($250,000), and planning and design for a Circular Bioeconomy Innovation Campus that will support R&D, technology scale-up, community education, and workforce training ($1,200,000). Site selection for the Innovation Campus will begin later this year.

  • $2.2 million for Capital Connections to support local job creation, including an Anchor Firms Development Fund to support new projects that create large numbers of quality jobs ($2,000,000), and Matching Grants for Research & Commercialization Funds for local small businesses ($200,000).

  • $1.56 million for enabling Infrastructure, including Grants for Job Training Facilities & Equipment ($1,500,000) and Manufacturing Site Portfolio research and advancement ($62,500).

  • $800K for Talent strategies via a Workforce Development Fund that provides grants and technical assistance to local education and training institutions to deploy new industry-aligned programs, internships, and inclusive career training pathways ($800,000).

https://www.beamcircular.org/news-updates/stanislaus-county-investment-signals-circular-bioeconomy-momentum

By Faughn New Developments • New Location • Tourism 0 Comments

New $36 million hotel coming to Merced

The next addition to one of Merced’s newest shopping centers is about halfway complete and set to open next year. Those who have driven by Campus Parkway Plaza have seen the large project under construction.

The Hilton Garden Inn is scheduled to open in August or September of 2025, according to Daniel Moradzadeh, director of the Merced-based Shemoil’s Investment Development which owns the hotel and Campus Parkway Plaza property. The five-story hotel, which will consist of 133 rooms, is a $36 million project. “It’s taken three generations of investing in our local community by my family to get to this point,” Moradzadeh said. “It’s been a massive undertaking.”

The Hilton Garden Inn will become a new addition to the Campus Parkway Plaza, which already houses a Starbucks, Tractor Supply Co., Chipotle, McDonald’s, and two gas stations. The 44,224-square-foot hotel will sit on an 8.3 acre lot that sits on the southwest corner of Campus Parkway and Coffee Street. The hotel include a parking lot with landscaping components. The hotel will also have two kitchens, one dedicated to the hotel and the other to a banquet facility that will sit approximately 350 people. There will also be a full-service bar in the hotel. There will also be an outside sitting area with a fire pit. There are plans to have a projection TV near the outside bar area as well.

“The main reason why we decided to construct this hotel is because the City of Merced needs marquee development,” Moradzadeh said. “This will be something that’s not only elegant, but has the class to go with it.”

As a local investment and development company, Moradzadeh says they’ve hired local contractors, including Merced-based Marvulli Construction. “You want to keep as much money as possible with our local community,” Moradzadeh said. Moradzadeh felt the location for the new hotel is ideal with the freeway access at Campus Parkway, the proximity to UC Merced and the building of a nearby regional sports complex on the 40-acre Community Park 42, which will eventually host large sports tournaments.

Moradzadeh says the company was approached by many hotel and motel companies, but chose to go with Hilton Garden Inn because they allowed them to tailor the hotel to fit what they wanted to build in Merced. “We decided to secure our franchise with Hilton because they gave us the highest-rated brand we could bring to Merced,” Moradzadeh said. Moradzadeh says construction of the hotel has remained on schedule. “As far as our scope of construction goes, we’re approximately 50% done,” Moradzadeh said. “The structure is completed, it’s fully framed. We’re one year out from our our test runs.”

https://www.mercedsunstar.com/news/local/article290481614.html

By Faughn Hi-Tech • Tourism 0 Comments

Modesto-area 49ers fans can avoid traffic by taking ACE trains

Fans of the San Francisco 49ers can once again ride the Altamont Corridor Express to most home games. The trains will go to all but two games during the 2024 regular season at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara. ACE cannot do the Monday night opener on Sept. 9 because it would interfere with normal passenger operations. The same goes for a Thursday night, Dec. 12. January playoff games could be added if the team qualifies. ACE has four weekday round trips between Stockton and San Jose, timed for commuters to Bay Area jobs. The closest station to the Modesto area is at the Lathrop/Manteca border. Levi’s is right next to the Great America station.

Details on train ticket prices and timetables are at www.acrerail.com. Riders who book early can get seven trips for the price of six. In a few years, ACE will be even more convenient. It has funding for one branch to Merced and another to Sacramento. Modesto and Ceres could get stations in late 2026 and other cities could join in between then and 2030. ACE has run the 49ers trains off and on since the 2014 opening of Levi’s Stadium. Fans avoid freeway traffic and parking fees.

“My blood pressure is low on the train,” one fan told The Modesto Bee’s Garth Stapley aboard a 2014 train. “It’s a lot easier than driving.”

ACE ALSO CAN SERVE CONCERTGOERS

The 2024 football service was announced in a news release from the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission, the governing body for ACE. “We want fans to be able to cheer on their team, allowing them to focus entirely on enjoying the game-day experience,” said Chairwoman Nancy Young, the mayor of Tracy. Early into its expansion, ACE plans to continue serving mainly commuters. Future funding could stretch it to other weekday hours and to weekends, meaning no more need for special trains to Levi’s.

The stadium also hosts top-tier concerts, sometimes with rail service from the Central Valley. ACE took Ed Sheeran fans to a show last September. It did not take part in the Taylor Swift mania two months earlier, but Amtrak’s Capitol Corridor between Sacramento and San Jose did.

https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article291070735.html

By Faughn Manufacturing 0 Comments

Agreement aims to put Fresno on the map for semiconductor-related opportunities

New partnerships seek to poise the Central Valley for a role in the growing semiconductor manufacturing industry.

On Wednesday, Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer and Councilmember Nelson Esparza travelled to San Francisco for the signing of a formal partnership memorandum of understanding (MOU) between global semiconductor manufacturing association SEMI; the City of Fresno; City of Clovis; California State University, Fresno; Fresno County Economic Development Corporation; and Silicon Farms Corporation (SiFa).

This agreement, the first of its kind in the Central Valley, is a step toward diversifying local economies, according to the mayor’s office.

The aim of the agreement is to place the Fresno region on the map as “open for business” for locating semiconductor supply chain and manufacturing facilities.

“This partnership is a monumental step towards ensuring that the semiconductor industry knows the advantages of the area and the support for their industry,” Dyer said. “Leveraging years of experience from the partners at Silicon Farms, Fresno is being positioned to have the best shot possible to capitalize on opportunities in the semiconductor industry.”

The MOU includes several elements, including “high-level” introductions by SEMI to semiconductor companies and related companies to SiFa and Fresno State.

There is also the intention that SEMI will use its global corporate and institutional framework to promote SiFa activities and Fresno State and encourage broad industry, government, and financial community engagement.

Atherton-based SiFa MANAGEMENT will fund and execute the agreed upon activities, events, programs, and partner services, unrelated to existing SEMI events.

Fresno State intends to establish a budget amount each fiscal year to support the execution of activities, events, programs, and partner services unrelated to SEMI events.

SEMI has 3,000 member companies worldwide, and its President and CEO Ajit Manocha said the semiconductor industry is expected to nearly double in annual revenue to $1 trillion around 2030.

“Adding new hubs such as the Central Valley will strengthen the semiconductor supply chain in the U.S. and globally,” Manocha said.

The Cities of Fresno and Clovis will assist with its resources to introduce SiFa and its related parties to local investors, property principals, and government officials.

EDC has intended obligations to support the overall strategy to enhance the efforts for the establishment of a High-Tech Park in the Fresno region.

“Our partnership with SEMI marks an important milestone for the Fresno region,” said Fresno County Economic Development Corporation President/CEO Will Oliver. “This collaboration will help diversify our economy, prepare local talent, and position the region to be part of the growing semiconductor industry, driving innovation and job creation for our community.”

By Faughn Economy • New Developments • Quality of Life 0 Comments

Construction to begin on improving Highway 99 and 120 junction

Construction will begin in August on upgrades to the junction of Highways 99 and 120 in Manteca. The $48.2 million project seeks to ease traffic between eastbound 120 and southbound 99. Many of the drivers are from Stanislaus County and points south, including commuters to the Bay Area. The work includes adding a second lane to the current connector ramp and a fourth lane on southbound 99 to about Austin Road. Austin will get a new bridge across the freeway and a new link to Atherton Drive and Woodward Avenue, key routes in south Manteca.

The project is scheduled for completion in summer 2026. It will be built by Teichert Inc. of Pleasanton on a contract with the San Joaquin Council of Governments. Construction will begin in August 2024 on a new connection between eastbound Highway 120 and southbound Highway 99 in Manteca, California. The project also involves replacing the Austin Road bridge over 99 and a new link between Austin and Moffat Boulevard. San Joaquin Council of Governments

OFFICIALS GATHER FOR GROUND-BREAKING SJCOG

oversees transportation funding for the county and its incorporated cities. It hosted a ground-breaking Wednesday, July 17, with local, state and federal leaders. SJCOG “recognized these improvements were essential to move people and goods within the region and across county borders,” Executive Director Diane Nguyen said. The new Austin Road bridge also will cross the freight tracks along 99, eliminating a safety hazard for drivers. By 2026, the tracks will be part of the expanded Altamont Corridor Express, which now takes passengers between Stockton and San Jose. The project is the first phase of an effort that eventually could involve other parts of the 99-120 junction, if funding is secured.

The second phase could cost about $28 million and open by 2033, according to the California Department of Transportation. It projects a $62 million cost and 2042 opening for the third phase. These phases would widen both 99 and 120 and improve connector ramps at the junction.

LOCAL SALES TAX HELPS FUND PROJECT

Local funding for the first phase includes the Measure K sales tax and fees on property developers. SJCOG also tapped state and federal transportation programs and federal payments to local governments amid COVID-19. The ground-breaking featured Lathrop Mayor Sonny Dhaliwal, who chairs SJCOG. “We’re bringing together our member agencies and public and private partners to build this highway-to-highway connector to serve the transportation needs of everyone who lives, works and travels in San Joaquin County,” he said.

https://www.modbee.com/news/local/article290199884.html

By Faughn New Developments 0 Comments

Lathrop Groundbreaking Ceremony Kicks Off Construction Phase for Valley Rail Program

STOCKTON, CA – June 20, 2024 – This week representatives of the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission (SJRRC), the San Joaquin Joint Powers Authority (SJJPA), and South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) officially broke ground on the Lathrop Wye Box Culvert (Box Culvert) project, marking the first major step in the construction phase of the Valley Rail program. Valley Rail is a transformative program that will enhance rail connectivity and service between the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay Area, significantly improving regional mobility and sustainability for Valley travelers, visitors, and residents.

Transforming Regional Rail Connectivity: Lathrop Wye and Track Extension Project

Sited near the Manteca Unified School District office complex, the Box Culvert project is the first component of the two-part Lathrop Wye and Track Extension Project which will construct a concrete structural box culvert that provides a platform for the future track associated with the Lathrop Wye.  The second phase will construct the Lathrop Wye Track and will provide the necessary track infrastructure to allow direct ACE train service between Ceres/Merced and San Jose. The second phase is scheduled to begin construction in late 2025 or early 2026.

The 384-foot-long Box Culvert will function to allow the current irrigation drainage ditch to continue to provide irrigation for farms receiving water from the South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID) and as storm drain conveyance for approximately 10,210 acres of land in south Manteca and several regional municipalities. The culvert will consist of a double-barrel reinforced cast-in-place concrete culverts and is needed to support the new wye connection tracks, which will curve over a portion of the SSJID canal. The box culvert is expected to be completed by early 2025.

The project demonstrates how the San Joaquin Regional Rail Commission is working in partnership with agencies, districts, and cities along the corridor as it moves forward with the infrastructure improvements necessary to upgrade tracks, build stations, and create new connections.

Nancy Young, Tracy Mayor and SJRRC Chair, said: 

“This project is significant as it is the first step in delivering the infrastructure necessary to connect Stanislaus and Merced counties directly to the Tri-Valley and San Jose. The Valley Rail Program will significantly enhance regional mobility and sustainability, benefiting travelers, visitors, and residents of the San Joaquin Valley and California as a whole.” Mayor Young continued, “I want to say a special Thank You to the South San Joaquin Irrigation District. Your partnership is invaluable. It is incredibly important to the Valley Rail Program as well as all the communities that we serve.”

Vito Chiesa, Stanislaus County Supervisor and SJJPA Board Member, said: 

“The exciting part of this project today, specifically, is that it supports the expansion of ACE service down to Stanislaus County with stops in Modesto, Ceres, and Turlock,” Chiesa continued. “This opens up all of Northern California for Stanislaus County residents to ride rail just about anywhere. Regarding air quality, we’re in an impacted basin in the San Joaquin Valley and programs like Valley Rail will be an important way to improve air quality for all of our residents.”

Stacey Mortensen, Executive Director (SJRRC), said:

“The Valley Rail Program is one of the most transformational things happening in the Valley for probably 100 years. Passenger service disappeared in the Valley for many years on this particular line. Valley Rail brings that passenger rail service back with a vengeance.” Regarding the Lathrop Wye Box Culvert Project, Mortensen said “Where we are right here [in Lathrop] is a connection in the Central Valley that has never existed. Trains today cannot come from the Modesto area and seamlessly travel over the Altamont Pass. They all have to either go north to Sacramento or they have to perform a long series of moves to travel toward the Tri-Valley and South Bay Area. This project, today, helps us make that connection so that trains can make a “through move” with passengers over to the Bay Area and Back.”

Forrest Killingsworth, Engineering Department Manager, South San Joaquin Irrigation District (SSJID), said:

“The significance of the project is to provide irrigation tail water and stormwater runoff capacity for the French Camp Outlet Canal, which is an SSJID tail water infrastructure canal. …What it will do is allow for the Lathrop Wye track construction to be constructed in an arched or a curved fashion over the top of the channel.”

Peter Rietkerk, General Manager (SSJID), said:

“The project is meant to serve as a foundational piece or initial piece for the larger Lathrop Wye Project, which is going to provide a huge benefit, especially in mobility, for our local residents, [and] people that visit the area and want to travel regionally.”

Mike Weststeyn, Board President (SSJID), said:

“It’s great to be a part of this transformational project that’s just getting started today. And, for [the] South San Joaquin Irrigation District, and as the President of the board, it’s great to be involved in a project like this that’s going to change our community.” 

Valley Rail: Enhancing Connectivity and Sustainability in Northern California

Valley Rail is a joint program that includes improvements and expansions of both ACE and Amtrak San Joaquins that is focused on improvements between Sacramento and the San Joaquin Valley. Valley Rail implements two new daily round-trips for the Amtrak San Joaquins service to better connect San Joaquin Valley travelers with the Sacramento Area, and extends Altamont Corridor Express (ACE) service between Sacramento and Merced. In addition, Valley Rail will convert the entire fleet including the thruway bus network to renewable diesel fuel, providing greenhouse gas (GHG) benefits across the entire existing (449 track miles) and proposed expanded (119 track miles) San Joaquins and ACE services.

The Valley Rail Program consists of several project segments that together improve rail service on ACE and the San Joaquins for the San Joaquin Valley, Sacramento, and the Bay Area. The project segments include: Lathrop to Ceres Extension, Sacramento Extension, Ceres-Merced Extension, Stockton Diamond Grade Separation, Madera Station Relocation, and the Oakley Station Project.

https://www.sjrrc.com/lathrop-groundbreaking-ceremony/